Submerged oil leak control

ABSTRACT

Cup-shaped casing means inverted upon or adjacent to the ocean floor and tubular means extending upwardly from said casing means and communicating with the interior thereof through an opening in the top wall thereof. The tubular means is braced by a plurality of cables connected thereto and to anchor means located on the ocean floor.

United States Patent Zielinski 1 June 6, 1972 [54] SUBMERGED OIL LEAK CONTROL 3,389,559 6/1968 Logan. ..6l/1 3,339,512 9/1967 Siegel ..114/.5 [72] Inventor: Robert 0. Zielinski, Route #2, Box 20,

Delton- Mich 49046 Primary ExaminerReuben Friedman [22] Filed: May 4 1970 Assistant Examiner-T. A. Granger Attorney-Woodhams. Blanchard and Flynn [21] Appl. No.: 34,087

[57] ABSTRACT [52] U.S.Cl ..2l0/l70,6l/1,61/46, Cup-shaped casing means inverted upon or adjacent to the 210/DIG. 2] ocean floor and tubular means extending upwardly from said [51] Int. Cl ..E02b 15/04 casing e ns and co un cat ng ith t e interior thereof [58*] Field of Search 210/170, 83, 242, 523, DIG, 21; through an opening in the top wall thereof The tubular means 137/13; 61/1, 46; 114/,5; l75/5 8 is braced by a plurality of cables connected thereto and to anchor means located on the ocean floor. 56 R f 1 e mnces Cited 1 Claims, 3 Drawing figures UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,500,841 3/1970 Logan ..137/13 SUBMERGED OIL LEAK CONTROL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates in general to an apparatus for controlling submerged or offshore oil leaks occurring in or near the ocean floor and, more particularly, to a type of control apparatus including adequate bracing and lengthwise adjustment to compensate for lateral movement of the ocean in the vicinity of the apparatus.

Persons acquainted with the drilling and operations of offshore oil wells have long recognized the problems created when the casing is broken near the ocean floor or an oil leak occurs through a crack in the ocean floor adjacent an existing oil well due to the pressures built up by such oil well, usually at a substantial depth below the earths crust which defines the ocean floor near said oil well.

It is also well known that water movement around oil wells and casings leading thereto tends to create breakages in the casing and render control over leaks more difiicult. It is difficult and often dangerous to repair a broken pipe under these circumstances and the continued, unabated flow of the oil from the broken pipe or an adjacent crack in the ocean floor has been known to create devastating losses.

Usually, breaks in the casing or leaks through cracks in the ocean floor occur without any prior warning whatsoever. Thus, it is necessary to act promptly in order to avoid the devastating results and, insofar as I am aware, no successful solution to this problem has been forthcoming thus far.

It is known that oil will rise to the surface of the water and that the oil can be recovered when it reaches the surface.

Accordingly, a primary object of this invention is the provision of an apparatus for controlling the flow of, and recovering oil leaking from submerged oil well or from a crack in the ocean floor by containing the oil at the source of the leak and thereafter directing its flow to a point above the surface of the water where it can be collected.

A further object of this invention is the provision of an apparatus, as aforesaid, which can be quickly and easily installed which is readily adaptable to sources of oil leaks having a variety of sizes and shapes, which does not interfere with the movement of surface vessels operating in the vicinity of such apparatus and which is not adversely affected by water movement or the ocean currents in the vicinity of the apparatus.

Other objects and purposes of the invention will become apparent to persons familiar with this type of equipment upon reading the following descriptive material and examining the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a broken sectional view taken along the line IIII in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line IIIIII in FIG. 1.

For convenience in description, the terms upper," lower and words of similar import will have reference to the apparatus of the invention as appearing in the figures. The terms inner," outer" and derivatives thereof will have reference to the geometric center of said apparatus.

SUlvIMARY OF THE INVENTION The objects and purposes of the invention, including those set forth above, have been metby providing a preferably cylindrical and cup-shaped casing which is placed in an inverted position upon or adjacent the ocean floor so that it covers the upper end of a broken oil casing or a crack in the ocean floor through which oil is leaking. Tubular members are connected coaxially to the top wall of the casing and extend upwardly therefrom, the lowermost member communicating with the interior of the casing through the top wall. A plurality of anchors are located on the ocean floor around the casing and are connected by cables to the tubular members whereby material side sway of the tubular members is effectively opposed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 includes an inverted substanu'ally cup-shaped container or casing 10 which is preferably fabricated from dense, durable material such as steel or reinforced concrete. The sidewall 11 of the casing 10 is preferably, but not necessarily, cylindrical and the top wall 12 is preferably, but not necessarily dome shaped, as shown in FIG. 2 or conical in order to induce the flow of oil toward the central opening 13 in said top wall. A flanged collar 14 is rigidly secured, as by welding if the casing is fabricated by steel, to said top wall 12 around the opening 13. A tubular member 16 is rigidly secured, as by welding, within the collar 14. Additional tubular members or sections 17 which are preferably, but not necessarily, of the same diameter as the tubular members 16 (FIG. 1) are arranged in axial alignment with and extend upwardly from the tubular member 16.

The lowermost tubular section 17 is preferably slidably received into the tubular member 16 by a sleeve 18 which is preferably secured to the upper end .dSthe tubular member 16. In a similar manner, each tubular section 17 above the tubular member 16 has a sleeve 18 secured to the upper end thereof for slidably receiving the lower end of the tubular section thereabove. Means such as the stop pin 21 on the sleeve 18, which extends through a vertically slotted member 22 on the tubular section 17, may be furnished to limit vertical sliding movement of the tubular section relative to the sleeve 18, and thereby prevent an inadvertent disconnection between the sleeve and section.

The uppermost tubular section 17A is preferably closed by a cap 23 and the upper end of said section 17A is connected to a discharge pipe 24 which may be provided with a conventional valve 26.

A plurality of anchors 30, which are preferably fabricated from concrete, are disposed upon the ocean floor 31 around the casing 10 and are spaced radially therefrom. Preferably, said anchors 30 are located at four uniform intervals around the casing, and each anchor has an elongated flexible cable 32 connected thereto by means of a hook or loop 33. Additional cables may extend between the anchors 30 and other sections 17, if desired.

An anchor collar 34 is firmly secured to either the tubular member 16 or one of the tubular sections 17 and such anchor collar has a plurality of fastening devices 36 to which the upper ends of the cables 32 are secured. If additional bracing is required, and it may be, two or more rigid braces 37 (FIG. 1) may be secured to and extend between the top wall 12 and the side of the tubular member 16. These braces may be fixed in position by welding or the like, and they are preferably heavy-duty angle irons.

OPERATION When a leak is detected, the casing 10 along with the attached tubular member 16, may be lowered toward the ocean floor by a suitable hoist of any conventional type. The casing is fabricated from sufficiently dense material that it will readily sink to the ocean floor and any water trapped by such downward movement can easily and freely flow upwardly through the tubular member 16. If desired, a tubular section 17 can be attached to the tubular member 16 as the upper end of the member 16 approaches the surface of the water. In a similar manner, additional tubular sections 17 can be added, one at a time, as the casing 10 is lowered. When the lower open edge of the casing 10 comes to rest on the ocean floor around and over either the broken casing 38 (FIG. 2) or a crack 39, then appropriate anchoring of the tubular sections 17 can be effected.

Either before or after the casing is lowered, the anchors 30 are lowered to the ocean floor by the said hoist and positioned around the leak preferably uniformly and equidistantly. The cables 32 will preferably be connected to the anchor collar 34 of the proper tubular section 17 before that particular section is lowered into the ocean. Accordingly, it is only necessary thereafter for a diver to locate the loose ends of the cables and secure them to the loops 33 on the anchors 30.

As soon as the casing covers the broken casing 38 or crack 39 through which oil is leaking, such oil will be promptly guided up through the casing by its relative buoyancy and then along the domed top wall 12 to the opening 13 Thereafter, the oil will move upwardly through the opening 13, the tubular member 16 and tubular sections 17. When such oi] reaches the surface of the water within the uppermost tubular section 17A, the oil can then be drawn off through the discharge pipe 24 by an appropriate suction or sump pump connected thereto. Such oil can then be delivered to a waiting tanker or barge or, if convenient, piped directly to the shore. Thus, pollution of the water by the oil from the leak is prevented.

Although a particular preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus, including the rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for controlling the flow of oil from a submerged leak near the ocean floor, comprising:

a relatively large, rigid, cup-shaped and downwardly opening casing having a dense annular sidewall and a top wall, said top wall having a central opening therethrough, and the lower end of said annular sidewall being disposed on the ocean floor;

said annular sidewall being substantially cylindrical and said top wall having an upwardly directed dome shape, the outer edge of said top wall being fixedly secured to the upper edge of said cylindrical sidewall, and said opening being disposed substantially centrally of and at the uppermost point of the dome-shaped top wall;

a tubular member rigidly secured to said top wall and extending upwardly therefrom, the lower end of said tubular member communicating with the interior of said casing through said opening in said top wall;

brace means connected to and between said tubular member and said top wall, said brace means being connected to said top wall at a position spaced radially outwardly a substantial distance from said central opening;

said brace means including at least three elongated brace members disposed uniformly around said tubular member and having the upper ends thereof fixedly connected to said tubular member, said brace members extending downwardly and outwardly from said tubular member at a substantial angle relative thereto so that the lower ends of said brace members are fixedly secured to said top wall at a location disposed closely adjacent the outer edge thereof;

a plurality of separable, elongated tubular sections arranged in axial alignment with and extending upwardly from said tubular member;

connection means securing said tubular sections to each other and connecting the lowermost tubular section to said tubular member, said connection means comprising slip-joint means for permitting lengthwise relative movement between said tubular sections while preventing said sections from being inadvertently axially disconnected;

discharge pipe means connected to and communicating with the upper one of said tubular sections, said discharge pipe means having flow control valve means associated therewith for controlling flow therethrough;

collar means rigidly secured to one of said tubular member and tubular sections, said collar means being spaced upwardly a substantial distance above the top wall of said casing;

a plurality of heavy anchor members disposed on said ocean floor substantially uniformly around said casing and at substantially uniform distances therefrom; and

a plurality of elongated and flexible cables fixedly secured at the lower end of each to one of said anchor members and at the upper end of each to said collar means,

whereby lateral movement of said tubular sections due to ocean currents is positively opposed. 

1. An apparatus for controlling the flow of oil from a submerged leak near the ocean floor, comprising: a relatively large, rigid, cup-shaped and downwardly opening casing having a dense annular sidewall and a top wall, said top wall having a central opening therethrough, and the lower end of said annular sidewall being disposed on the ocean floor; said annular sidewall being substantially cylindrical and said top wall having an upwardly directed dome shape, the outer edge of said top wall being fixedly secured to the upper edge of said cylindrical sidewall, and said opening being disposed substantially centrally of and at the uppermost point of the dome-shaped top wall; a tubular member rigidly secured to said top wall and extending upwardly therefrom, the lower end of said tubular member communicating with the interior of said casing through said opening in said top wall; brace means connected to and between said tubular member and said top wall, said brace means being connected to said top wall at a position spaced radially outwardly a substantial distance from said central opening; said brace means including at least three elongated brace members disposed uniformly around said tubular member and having the upper ends thereof fixedly connected to said tubular member, said brace members extending downwardly and outwardly from said tubular member at a substantial angle relative thereto so that the lower ends of said brace members are fixedly secured to said top wall at a location disposed closely adjacent the outer edge thereof; a plurality of separable, elongated tubular sections arranged in axial alignment with and extending upwardly from said tubular member; connection means securing said tubular sections to each other and connecting the lowermost tubular section to said tubular member, said connection means comprising slip-joint means for permitting lengthwise relative movement between said tubular sections while preventing said sections from being inadvertently axially disconnected; discharge pipe means conNected to and communicating with the upper one of said tubular sections, said discharge pipe means having flow control valve means associated therewith for controlling flow therethrough; collar means rigidly secured to one of said tubular member and tubular sections, said collar means being spaced upwardly a substantial distance above the top wall of said casing; a plurality of heavy anchor members disposed on said ocean floor substantially uniformly around said casing and at substantially uniform distances therefrom; and a plurality of elongated and flexible cables fixedly secured at the lower end of each to one of said anchor members and at the upper end of each to said collar means, whereby lateral movement of said tubular sections due to ocean currents is positively opposed. 